Updates

It is not simply a matter of big money in politics. There is big money in all of American life. The more pervasive problem is that we now have self-interested political institutions — the parties — that are considered “too big to fail.” Are we supposed to protect them and their refusal to share power with the people at all costs?

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Opinion

Dear Oprah, If You’re Serious About a Presidential Run, Call the Independents

January 10, 2018

An open letter to Oprah Winfrey is the topic of this month's Neo-Independent column by Jackie Salit. "You are a strong woman and an independent thinker," writes Salit. "Don’t let the party bureaucrats contain your process, not when 43% of Americans now consider themselves independents, according to the latest Gallup poll out this week. these lines, here is a list of calls I would urge you to make, to give you a more rounded and nonpartisan view of the possibilities."

Not to be Missed in Alabama Senate Race: Independents (21% of electorate) Backed Jones

December 13, 2017

Not to be missed in the Alabama Senate race...independents were 21% of the electorate and broke for Doug Jones 51% to 43%. Moreover, exit polling conducted by Edison Research of 2,387 voters showed that among self-identified independents, independent women (8% of the electorate) differed significantly from their male co-hort voting decisively for Jones 57% to 37% while independent men (12% of the electorate) split their vote with 48% backing Moore and 47% Jones.

The Elephant & The Donkey in the Room: The Future of American Political Parties

October 26, 2017

You can view the highly successful American Public Square forum on the future of America's political parties and the rise of independent voters here in its entirety. Organizers received an overwhelming response to this forum part of an annual series.

Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University and the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy have teamed up with Independent Voting to better examine the independent voter phenomenon. Their findings are outlined in this briefing paper released today.